Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 7 August 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start off with golf: Two strong teams have been picked to represent South Africa at the World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore in October. Competing for the women’s Espirito Santo Trophy, which South Africa won in 2006, Kyra van Kan will make her debut alongside Megan Streicher and Bobbi Brown. The country’s top-ranked amateur, Christiaan Maas, will make his third appearance in the men’s Eisenhower Trophy. He is joined by debutants Dan Bennett and Charl Barnard. GolfRSA’s CEO, Grant Hepburn, has praised the depth of talent in the national squads.

# On to rugby: Springbok Women flanker Lusanda Dumke is stepping away from the game due to health concerns. The 28-year-old has earned 33 Test caps and captained the team on three occasions. She also led the Bulls Daisies to their third consecutive Women’s Premier Division title this year. Springbok Women performance coach, Swys de Bruin, says Dumke’s absence will have an impact, but at the same time, the players going to the World Cup will know that playing for the country while fit and strong is a privilege.

More rugby news: Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has named a 35-player squad for the two-Test tour of South Africa to begin the Rugby Championship. Tane Edmed and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto are among the new additions. Nic White has put his retirement on hold to replace regular scrumhalf Jake Gordon, who is injured. Josh Flook and John Nasser have also joined the squad. Schmidt says it will be difficult to play South Africa on their home turf over two consecutive weekends – the 16th in Johannesburg and a week later in Cape Town.

# Cricket: Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has been nominated for the International Cricket Council’s July Men’s Player of the Month, alongside the captains of England and India, Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill. Mulder smashed an unbeaten 367 in the second Test against Zimbabwe, the highest individual score in South African Test history. Stokes scored 251 runs and took 12 wickets in the three July Tests against India. Gill played a starring role in India’s record-breaking victory at Edgbaston where he scored 269 in the first innings.

Meanwhile, the brilliant Test series between England and India has improved several players’ world rankings. Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is now fifth in the Test batter rankings after scoring 411 runs, including two centuries. Mohammed Siraj improved 12 places to 15th in the Test bowlers rankings and another Indian fast bowler, Prasidh Krishna, moved up 25 places to 59th. English bowler Gus Atkinson broke into the top-ten for the first time, and Josh Tongue improved 14 places to 46th. The series ended in a 2-all draw.

Stay tuned for more news………….